List of pop culture references in Warcraft/WotLK
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Games * ** The achievement Alone in the Darkness ( / ) is a reference to the Alone in the Dark computer game series, which is mostly based on Lovecraft's works, just like Yogg-Saron. * **The monster Kaganishu, inside of a cave system in northern Borean Tundra, has a name reminiscent of Rakanishu, a Fallen guarding the Cairn Stones in Diablo II. His followers say his name as they attack, much like all Fallen in Diablo II. * **There is a flower merchant in Dalaran named Aerith Primrose. Aerith is a reference to , a major character of Final Fantasy VII, who wears a pink and red outfit similar in appearance to that of this NPC, and is also a flower seller. * **The achievements I Choose You, Runemaster Molgeim ( / ), I Choose You, Steelbreaker ( / ) and I Choose You, Stormcaller Brundir ( / ), all for the same boss encounter, may be a reference to a phrase used in the Pokémon franchise, however in the Pokemon franchise the name usually comes before the "I choose you!" statement. **The Borean Tundra questgiver, , is a reference to the Pokemon . This is further enforced by various psychic related quotes during the quest , as well as the npc's similarity in eye shape to the Pokemon's. * **The Cooking Achievement is a direct reference to the game Portal. The phrase translates to a reward which is fictitious and was popularized by the game Portal found on Half-Life's Orange Box release in which you are part of a study group controlled by a computer that attempts to motivate you to complete a series of tests involving a new device created by Aperture Science. **The book Thinking with Portals - A Memorandum on Proper Portal Usage can sometimes be found in Dalaran and is a reference to the motto of the game, "Now you're thinking with portals!", used by GLaDOS after completing certain objectives. * **A sewer shark named "Segacedi" is located under the poison vendor in the sewers of Dalaran. This is a reference to the game Sewer Shark, released on the add on for the Sega Genesis, also known as the Mega CD in European and Asian markets. * **During the boss fight in Pit of Saron, Scourgelord Tyrannus shouts "Power... overwhelming!". This is a quote from the Protoss Archon unit in Starcraft, as well as the game's cheat command for invincibility. * ** The achievement Set Up Us the Bomb ( / ) is a quote from the badly translated (Engrish) intro of the Mega Drive version of the game, including such lines as "Somebody set up us the bomb". Movies * **An early death knight quest called is a reference to the movie 300 when Leonidas says "Tonight, we dine in Hell." **The Scourge archers seen early on in the Death Knight quest chain are called . **Also, the quest is considered to be a reference to the Battle of Thermopylae, since there being 300 defenders of the Light and 10,000 attackers from the Scourge. * **On occasion, the in the death knight starting area will say "I picked the wrong week to quit drinking" which is a memorable quote from Steve McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges). He also substitutes "drinking" for smoking, sniffing glue, and amphetamines. * **The comment on the buff icon when riding the says "Don't you dare close your eyes!" which is a quote from the song "A whole new world" sung in Disney's Aladdin, while Aladdin and Jasmine are riding the flying carpet. **The same reference goes for the buff icon when riding the that says "A new fantastic point of view!", wich is also a quote from the song "A whole new world" sung in Aladdin * ** The achievement They're Coming Out of the Walls ( / ) is a line used by Pvt. Hudson in the movie Aliens. ** Just after starting the encounter in Violet Hold, Lieutenant Sinclari says, "Prison guards, we are leaving!". This references the line by Cpl. Hicks, "Marines, we are leaving!" * ** The quest refers to the constant anecdotes starting with "This one time, at band camp..." told by Alyson Hannigan's character Michelle in the 1999 teen comedy American Pie. * ** The achievement I Love the Smell of Saronite in the Morning ( / ) is a play on the famous quote "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smell like...victory." * **The Stormforged War Golems in the Storm Peaks drop an item that starts the quest , a play on the movie title. **The item is a reference to Ash's Boomstick from the movie. The reagents and used in crafting it refer to the line, "It's got a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel, and a hair trigger." **The achievement refers to the S-Mart slogan repeatedly used by Ash: "Shop smart, shop S-Mart!" (it is more likely that this is a reference to the old slogan for the Pet Store named ) * ** The item is a reference to the device used in the movies. A coil can function as a capacitor, which is also used in the third movie, where the Flux Capacitor of the Time Train is . ** The LMS Mark II in Ulduar turns around by hovering upwards from the rail, reminiscent of the Time Train in the third movie, which was equipped with hover technology. * ** In Grizzly Hills, there are four NPCs located near each other with interesting names. These NPCs in question are one adult female deer named , a younger female deer named , also beside them there are one skunk named and a small rabbit named , these four are clearly a reference to Bambi. ** A hunter will come out and shoot Mother of Bambina, exactly what happens in the Disney film Bambi. **Whenever "Mother of Bambina", "Flora", and "Thudder" are killed, "Bambina" turns into "Vengeful Bambina" which makes her to anyone and gives her a buff called "Bambina's Vengeance", increasing all her damage dealt by 2000% and attack speed by 150%. * ** A questgiver named in Howling Fjord gives the quest . This is a direct reference to the character named Donny (played by Steve Buscemi) in The Big Lebowski. Several times in one of the major scenes, Walter Sobchak (played by John Goodman) tells Donny "You're out of your element!" **There is an NPC named at the Explorers' League Outpost who gives the quest in which he says: "Walt at the Explorers' League Outpost in the Howling Fjord wants you to use the 's Bluff ability on Lebronski after you've walked on his rug". This is a clear reference to The Big Lebowski. In the movie, Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Lebronski) is visited by 3 thugs. One of them relieves himself on "The Dude's" rug, and several references are made of the rug through-out the movie. Also, after you've completed all the quests Walt has to give, when you open his chat window he says "The Dude over yonder is pretty upset about his rug". Phone's Ringin' Dude! * ** The is an item obtained during the Winter Veil 2009 event. It is a reference to the Red Rider BB gun that the main character, Ralphie, wants for Christmas. The rifle will sometimes "backfire" causing the player to become stunned for a short period of time. The debuff is called Right in the eye! which is an obvious reference to the movie. * ** During the Death Knight starting quests in Acherus, at the early stage of creating your first rune blade, a book can be read near the runeforges with the text "This is my runeblade, there are many like it but this one is mine." This is an obvious reference to the mantra the Marine recruits are ordered to recite in Full Metal Jacket: "This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine". (Although this could be a movie reference, it could just as well be to .) * **Grubthor, a rare spawn in Silithus may be a reference to Alan Rickman's repeated line, "By Grabthor's Hammer, you shall be avenged!" * **At the forge in Warsong Hold, the Grand Master Engineering trainer is named , after , one of the salesman in the real estate office, played in the movie by . The Goblin Siege Engineer's complaints about tools is similar to the complaints of the real estate salesman in the film complaining about their leads: "These tools are junk!" and "How do they expect us to craft with these things?" They also ask about a meeting they are being made to attend, which turns out to be with , who abuses the engineers ("You call yourself a crafter, you son-of-a-gnome?") and challenges them to a crafting contest ("As you all know, first prize is a . Anyone want to see second prize? Second prize is some . Third prize is YOU'RE FIRED!"), ending in an exortation to "Always be crafting!" similar to a speech in the film by . * : **In the Drakil'jin Ruins of Grizzly Hills, reprises his role from Zul'Aman as a tribute to and . His dialogue in the quest includes several movie references, and the quest name itself refers to four notes of the famous Indiana Jones theme. **The achievement Snakes. Why'd It Have To Be Snakes? has its name coming from an quote found in * **During the Horde version of , when you clear to the outer ring of the Undercity, Varimathras yells "Clever girl..." at Sylvanas. This is a direct quote from the film version of Jurassic Park. Just before Robert Muldoon is killed by velociraptors, those are his last words. * **In the quest , which you get in Howling Fjord, you're asked to give a Vrykul prisoner a plague cure. Eventually, he explodes and one of the guards says "I didn't know they could do that." In the movie after one of the vampires explodes one of the characters says "You didn't tell me they could do that. I didn't know they could do that." * **Arthas, as the Lich King, bears a near perfect resemblance to the Witch-king of Angmar as depicted in The Return of the King **In the quest , you're asked to destroy the , which floats above Shadow Vault's spires. The Ocular bears a strong resemblance to the eye of Sauron atop the tower of Barad-dûr from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King film. **The Lich King's helmet has spikes on the top like those on Sauron's. The Lich King and his undead minions want to kill all living things not under his power, just as Sauron wants his army to take down all living things not under his power. **Angrathar the Wrathgate appears to be based on the Black Gate of the only major way of getting into Mordor, and in WoW Angrathar is the only real entrance into Icecrown. They are also both of the same design, made of a black metal with spikes coming out, and a large battle outside them. * ** The flavor text of , found in Rusted Prisoner's Footlocker, says "There is no spoon." * **The zeppelin that transports you between Orgrimmar and Warsong Hold, The Mighty Wind, is a reference to the Christopher Guest film "A Mighty Wind". * **In Dalaran, there is a placed called Wonderworks. The shopkeeper is named , which sounds like the name of the man who made Pinocchio. *' ' **The NPC is a tribute to Doctor Finklestein. He gives out the quest which also references the fact that Doctor Finklestein was the Halloween Town's mad scientist. * **The NPC is involved in some quests in Light's Hope Chapel and is also hinted to be the real identity of in . In the movie The Princess Bride, Inigo Montoya was the name of the Spanish swordsman who helped Wesley. * **The quest is a reference to the movie Pulp Fiction. It is the name of one of the pieces of music from the movie, and also a character named Zed who gets killed, after which Bruce Willis's character exclaims 'Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.'" * ** When you fight he will sometimes summon rhinos. While doing that he says "Say hello to my BIG friend!" which is a reference to Scarface's "Say Hello To my LITTLE friend!". ** The quest in the Borean Tundra is a reference to Tony Montana's line: "I bury those cockroaches!". ** While fighting in the quest , the orc death knight also uses the line "Say hello to my little friend!" before summoning his ghoul. * ** The item Zod's Repeating Longbow has "Kneel before him" in the flavor text. This is a reference to the movie's main villain, General Zod, who makes the President of the United States (and later tries to make Superman) bow before him with the phrase, "Kneel before Zod." * **Jelinek Sharpshear, the goblin proprietor of the Stormwind Barber Shop, was named "Sween Neetod" in the Wrath of the Lich King beta. The skeletons of his victims are still hidden beneath a floorboard on the second story of the shop, next to his trusty razor. * **In the quest , King Wrynn says "I know what evil lurks in the heart of Orcs" this is a take off from the comic book, movie, and radio program called The Shadow. His catch line, which still has its place in the American Lexicon, is "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men". * **The Ebon Blade Prisoners in Jotunheim (freed for the quest ) occasionally make a remark along the lines of "It takes the key and opens the cage," similar to Buffalo Bill's "It places the lotion in the basket." * **In Howling Fjord, you receive a quest called which is a reference to the movie This Is Spinal Tap, in which the guitarist is asked why he doesn't just make 10 louder on his amp, he replies "But it goes to 11...". **Going along with this reference, the achievement in Pit of Saron named refers to the same quote about the amp, this time joking that it doesn't go to eleven. * **In Wintergarde Keep, during the quest , your character says "Come with me if you want to live". This is a running line from The Terminator series. Kyle Reese (played by Michael Biehnhttp://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000299 tells this to Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamiltonhttp://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000157 in the first movie. In the second movie, a terminator (played by Arnold Schwarzenneggerhttp://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000216 repeats this line to Sarah Connor, while in the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles''http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0851851 the line is reprised by Summer Glauhttp://us.imdb.com/name/nm1132359 in her role as Cameron Philips, a terminator modeled after captured freedom fighter Allison Young who was sent back (of course) to protect John Connor. **The description for the warrior talent Bladestorm is inspired by a quote from Kyle Reese when he tries to explain the threat posed by the Terminator. * ' ' **When Macalroy in Valgarde offers the "Hell has Frozen Over" quest, he says ''"Report to Vice Admiral Keller just northwest of here and let him know that you're all out of bubble gum" which is a reference to the 1988 movie They Live''http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0096256 in which the character Nada, played by "Rowdy" Roddy Piperhttp://us.imdb.com/name/nm0684929 announces "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum"http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0096256/quotes * ' ' ** The quest in the Oculus is likely a reference to the 1944 war movie of nearly the same name. Television * ' ' **In Howling Fjord at the Explorer's League quest hub, an NPC named Walt gives you two quests. One is called "We can Rebuild it" and the other is called "We have the technology". In the old tv show ''The 6 Million Dollar Man, there's a character named Dr. Walter Ellis. Also, the memorable quote from the show was "We can Rebuild you, we have the technology." ** At the Scalding Pools, nearby Fizzcrank Airstrip, the Fizzcrank Mechanognomes can be seen saying: "The flesh is weak. We will make you better, stronger...faster.". This is another quote from the show's introduction. * ** Fizzcrank Airstrip's flightmaster, Kara Thricestar, is named for , a character from the 2004 version of the TV series. * ** One of the clerks in the shop Sisters Sorcerous in Dalaran is named Endora Moorehead. On the 1960s TV show Bewitched, the mother of Samantha Stevens was named Endora, and was played by Agnes Moorehead. Another sister, Hagatha Moorehead, probably refers to Samantha's (seldom-seen)aunt Hagatha. No word on where her other aunt, Enchantra, has got to. * **The fishing achievement, Deadliest Catch, is probably a reference to the popular Discovery Channel television program of the same name. * **An NPC named "Dirty" Michael Crowe appears in Dustwallow Marsh and sells fish. * ** In Borean Tundra, there is a Quest Item named The Ultrasonic Screwdriver (quest item). This is a reference to the Sonic Screwdriver. ** The entirety of the Mechagnomes is a reference to the . The way they're made by "Decursing" gnomes (similar to the way the Cybermen "Upgrade" people), the way Gearmaster Mechazod considers what he's doing to be a gift of immortality, to a few of the Mechagnomes quotes are all indications to this. ** Chromie's talks to you in the same manner as the Doctor, she'll tell you she met you before when you first meet Chromie in Andorhal, but when you skip the Intro in Culling of Stratholme once you've beaten it before, She'll make a statement similar to the Doctor's due to her constant time traveling of claiming she's never met you before. * **A guard in the Underbelly of Dalaran is called Natalie Tootiblare, a reference to three of the main characters in the series: Natalie Green, Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey, and Blair Warner. * **In Amber Ledge of Borean Tundra, Initiate Mehrtens sells an item which you can use to torture a previously captured mage. One of the lines he says is "Are you trying to meet the real me?", a reference to a line Mal says while being tortured in the episode , and this line, as the whole torture, is in turn a reference to the works of . **In Amberpine Lodge of Grizzly Hills, Saffron Reynolds can be found on the upper floor; she is a reference to Saffron, a con artist who was briefly married to Mal Reynolds. She is a poison vendor, a hint to how she drugged up Mal with a poison on her lips. Next to her is Yolanda Haymer, another name later used by this woman. * ** Professor Putricide's quotes come straight from Professor Hubert Farnsworth. "Good News, Everyone!" * **In the harbor town of Venture Bay located in Grizzly Hills, you can find a male human NPC named "Grizzly" D. Adams with a Bear Cub by his side. This is a obvious reference to the original movie The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams that later became a tv series. * **The Alliance Cooking Grandmaster Trainer in Dalaran is named Katherine Lee, a reference to Katie Lee Joel, the host of Season One of Bravo TV's hit series Top Chef and a cookbook author. Some people mistakenly believe this is a reference to Kathie Lee Gifford, who actually has nothing to do with cooking. **The Horde Cooking trainer in Vengance Landing is named Thomas Kolichio. A clear reference to Top Chef Master Judge Tom Colicchio. * **In Bittertide Lake is a small island with a hatch with the incremented by one: 5 9 16 17 24 43. * **In Howling Fjord (60,61) is McGoyver who is building an airplane, clearly a reference to MacGyver. * ** A book in Acherus: The Ebon Hold (the Lich King's floating necropolis and starting area for Death Knight characters) lists various Death Knight trainees and their fates. The player's character is named on the last significant page with a note saying "Need more cowbell", a reference to a Christopher Walken sketch that the development team must have really, really liked. * ** Some of the hungering dead near Wintergarde Keep in Dragonblight say "NOM! NOM! NOM!", a term used to describe eating, coined by the * **In the Death Knight starting area, the quest " " sends you to kill Mayor Quimby, an obvious reference to , better known as "Diamond" Joe Quimby, the mayor of Springfield. The title of the quest is also a possible reference to the song "Nowhere to Run," though it could also be a reference to the song "Slaughter your World," which is part of the LookingforGroup comic by Ryan Sohmer and Lar Desouza. **In the Borean Tundra while questing for D.E.T.A you ride one of the neutral mammoths in the area, once mounted the Mammoth's name appears as "Stampy" a reference to Bart Simpson's pet elephant of the same name. ** The achievement Crazy Cat Lady ( / ) is most likely a nod to the series' infamous , which is in turn a reference to the stereotype of old women who own or shelter a lot of cats. ** might be a reference to one of the Stonecutters' initiation rituals in (which all, except the last one, consist of the blindfolded initiate being paddled on the ass by a line of people) * **In Howling Fjord, the Valgarde defenders are armed with rifles. Before killing approaching NPCs they yell "It's coming right for us." A reference to an early South Park episode dealing with the Second Amendment. It was explained that with the new changes in government you could only fire your weapons in self defense, therefore, hunters could legally shoot anything by claiming self defense, but only after yelling "It's coming right for us." **While not quite making it into The Burning Crusade (as it was renamed ), the was introduced as a drop in the new Naxxramas, and renamed , complete with the flavor text, "Foretold by Salzman," both obvious nods to the "Make Love, Not Warcraft" episode. **The PvP achievement , is a reference to the South Park episode of the same name, where the South Park gang play World of Warcraft. The achievement requires you to the same thing that Stan did to his dad before he died. **Xevozz in Violet Hold sometimes says "Profit!" when killing a player. This 'slay' line is the third of three in the game files. This is a reference to the and their business plan. * ** Sailor Picardo and Sailor Philips, deckhands of the Kraken (the boat that ferries Alliance players from Stormwind to Valiance Keep) are likely to be references to actors Robert Picardo and Ethan Philips, who played the characters of The Doctor and Neelix on Star Trek: Voyager. **In Borean Tundra, there are gnomes called Fizzcrank Mechagnome. While they are fighting you they say "We are Mechagnome...resistance is futile" and "You will be assimilated or eliminated." This is of course a play on the Borg. ** Datalore Smallsphere, a Gnome trades good seller who resides at Harkor's camp in Grizzly Hills, is a reference to the 'twin brother' androids, Data and Lore, created by Dr. Soong. * ** The achievement I Could Say That This Cache Was Rare ( / ) is a reference to the series' theme song. * **In the quest , Mr. Floppy, Emily's pet rabbit, is in reference to the sitcom Unhappily Ever After which ran on the WB from 1995–1999. * **One of the phases of Mimiron is named "V-07-TR-0N", a reference to the anime robot Voltron. Additionally, the achievement title gained when looting Mimiron's Head is quote from the show. * **In Dragonblight are two NPCs named Agent Skully (a female Forsaken in disguise) at New Hearthglen and Deathguard Molder (a male Forsaken) at Venomspite. These two are obvious reference to the two main characters of X-Files — Dana Scully and Fox Mulder. **Brann Bronzebeard in Storm Peaks sometimes says "The truth is out there". * ** Zena , the pet of Wodin the Troll-Servant at the Amphitheater of Anguish in Zul'Drak is a reference to the series and its main character. Additionally, (Odin) is a norse god, while Xena once was a favorite of Greek war god Ares. Music * **Farmer Torp at Warsong Farms Outpost gives you a quest called "Bring 'Em Back Alive", which is also the title of a song on Audioslave's self titled debut album. (It is at least as likely, though, to be a reference to the 1930 book, or the 1932 movie, or the 1982 Bruce Boxleitner TV series, all of which have the same title.) * **Avatar of Freya gives you a quest called "Returned Sevenfold". Also, one of the rewards from this quest is called "Signet of the Avenging Heart". Taking parts from the title and the reward, you end up with the name of the band. * ** The achievement refers to a Beastie Boys song from 1992. * **In the Death Knight class starting area, when Death Knight NPC's are spoken to they may utter the phrase "suffer well", which could be a reference to the Depeche Mode song "Suffer Well' from the album "Playing the Angel". * **The quest is a possible reference to the hit by Elvis Presley. * **There is a male undead Grand Master Enchanting Trainer called Emil Autumn (who can be found in Howling Fjord), a possible reference to the musician. * **The NPC Gorge the Corpsegrinder in Borean Tundra is a reference to the singer George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of the Metal Band . * ** The achievement Lose Your Illusion ( / ) is a reference to the double album . ** is a reference to the first track of the album Appetite for Destruction. * **The achievement for the Hallow's End world event is probably named after the Iron Maiden song, which in turn refers to the second line of the , as published in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. ** , a quest obtained from the Wyrmrest Accord, is the name of one of the songs from the popular 1984 album Powerslave. * **Bronjahm is the first boss of the Forge of Souls dungeon. Besides 'Bronjahm' being a corruption of the name, James Brown was known as the 'Godfather of Soul'. In addition, the game music changes to a more upbeat melody when the boss is engaged, and his loot and an for his heroic mode are references or direct quotes of song titles. * **The quest has the same name as the 1984 single from the band . * ** The achievement The Safety Dance ( / ) is a reference to the best-selling single . * ** The achievement refers to the third track on Michael Jackson's extremely successful 1979 album " ". * **A subzone named Blue Sky Logging Grounds in Grizzly Hills is probably named after the song " ". * **The achievement Supermassive ( / ) is a possible reference to the bands' hit "Supermassive Black Hole". * ** The achievement Getting Cold in Here ( / ) is a reference to the song , whose lyrics go "It's gettin' hot in here / So take off all your clothes" * and **In Grizzly Hills, you receive the quest . This is a reference to both Ozzy Osbourne's song of the same name and/or Korn's 7th studio album. * **The quest given by an NPC named Walt in the Howling Fjord is a reference to Pink Floyd's of the same name. ** Mobu, the goblin engineer at Garrosh's Landing in Borean Tundra, occasionally says "I wanna go home... Take off this uniform and leave the Horde!", which is a line from (but Pink says "show", not "Horde"). * **In Borean Tundra, you receive a quest called . In the quest you must defeat Clam Master K, a reference to the late of Run DMC. * **The NPC Siouxsie the Banshee in Acherus is a reference to the 80's band . * **In any Cooking Daily Quests you will receive a "Small Spice Bag" for your trouble. In these bags you have a chance to get an item called "Baby Spice" which "Reduces the target's size by 50% turning them into a baby". This is a reference to Emma Bunton, one of the girls in Spice Girls, better known by the name Baby Spice. * / / ** The achievement is a reference to the 1966 song "Summer in the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful, which was also successfully covered by B. B. King and Joe Cocker. Literature *' ' **Drottinn Hrothgar at Hrothgar's Landing, named after him, is a reference to the Danish King Hrothgar, a character in the epic poem Beowulf. *' ' **Deathbringer Saurfang's enrage quote, , is a reference to this Hindu scripture. This particular quote is known from its usage by J. Robert Oppenheimer upon observing the detonation of the first atomic bomb, where he said "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds". *' ' **In Icecrown, the Alliance and the Horde can do versions of the quest . The title is a reference to the , from which the phrase was made famous. *' ' ** The Purple Parlor in Dalaran is home to Arcanist Ginsberg and Alchemist Burroughs, references to Beat writers and . Burroughs was fairly notorious for his drug abuse, so it's quite fitting that he's an "alchemist." *' ' ** The crazed dwarves in the Howling Fjord's Whispering Gulch speak of "that which must not be named". While it could be a reference to Harry Potter (see above), it might also refer to from the Lovecraftian worlds together with the various tomes of "Things Men was Not Meant to Know" found therein. ** The Faceless Ones (such as Herald Volazj) are quite similar to descriptions of Cthulhu, and are at least influenced by the mythos. ** The achievement In His House He Waits Dreaming ( / ) is a reference to a ritualistic chant of the Ctulhu cult: "In his house at R'lyeh dead C'thulhu waits dreaming." ** Pretty much all lore associated with the Old Gods is an obvious homage to Lovecraft. ** In the quest in Coldarra players are asked to retrieve a book called from The Nexus. A yellow note on the book reads "Notes on the Arcanomicron" which is most likely a reference to the fictional book [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necronomicon Necronomicon] in Lovecraft's works. *' ' ** The quest in New Agamand is a play on the Dr. Seuss book . *' ' ** The quest giver Hemet Nesingwary – an anagram of Ernest Hemingway – is the typical "great white hunter" found in many Hemingway stories. The achievement is a reference to Hemingway's . ** The quest and achievement are in turn a reference to Hemingway's nonfiction work - where he tells the story of his hunting safari in Africa. ** The achievement is a reference to Hemingway's short story (1927). ** The fish vendor Old Man Heming in Booty Bay and the fishing achievement are references to Ernest Hemingway's novel . *' ' ** The crazed dwarves in the Howling Fjord's Whispering Gulch speak of "that which must not be named". This is a reference to the main antagonist of the Harry Potter novels, , who was referred to as "He Who Must Not Be Named". *' ' ** is a selectable reward upon completion of the Borean Tundra quest . This is a reference to the Morgul-Blade that the Witch-King of Angmar uses to stab Frodo at Weathertop in Tolkien's novel . *' ' **References to the Norse Mythologies are numerous throughout Northrend: The Vrykul are reminiscent of Norsemen (AKA: Vikings), their beliefs in fighting for the Lich King and being chosen is similar to dying in battle and going to , where the Val'kyr serve the same role as the , albeit in an evil fashion. The two Titan Pantheons, Aesir and Vanir, are references to the pantheons of Gods in Norse myth, the and the . The Titan watches of Azeroth, Loken, Thorim, Freya, Hodir and Mimiron, are base off of , , , , and respectively, and their stories and backgrounds are all fairly similar. *' ' ** For the quest , you have to purchase a from the travelling salesman Anton. In , the merchant Antonio guarantees for a loan of his friend Bassanio from the Jewish moneylender Shylock, who hates Antonio and demands "a pound of flesh" cut from the merchant's body should he be unable to repay the loan in time. When Antonio's ships are lost at sea, he goes bankrupt, but the removal of the pound can be prevented. The Forsaken Anton, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have any problems giving away "fresh" flesh. *' ' ** King Ymiron in Utgarde Pinnacle drops , which is possibly a nod to the book's title. *' ' ** The quest in Icecrown is a play on the famous last words of the Wicked Witch of the West when she is doused in water: "I'm melting... melting!". Comics *' ' **In the new expansion, three characters have been introduced bearing names similar to those of the popular fantasy webcomic, Order of the Stickhttp://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html. These characters include Big Roy, Cavalier Durkon, and Haley Copperton. * ** In the sewers of Dalaran, beneath some pipes and near some glowing green ooze, there is a rat surrounded by four baby turtles, an obvious reference to Splinter, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. * ** In Dragonblight, during the quest Slay Loguhn, you are tasked with killing a Wolvar named Loguhn. This mob's name is a sound-alike to Logan, the civilian identity of Marvel X-Men's Wolverine character. The presence of blade-talon fist weapons (bone claws) on Loguhn's hands further enhances their similarity. * **Elder Muahit wants you to kill Heigarr the Horrible in the quest The Tides Turn. This is a reference to the Dik Browne comic strip character Hägar the Horrible. * **In the Purple Parlor on top of the Violet Citadel is a butler named Alfred Copperworth who walks around and sells drinks. This is a reference to , the Butler of . Sports * The Horde flight master in Light's Breach is named Danica Saint, a reference to American auto racer via . Danica Saint's appearance also resembles Danica Patrick. Other *The Surge Needle in western Dragonblight looks very much like the in Seattle, including the rotating top platform. *Flask icons are based off the scientific model for a or Boyle's Self flowing Flask. * Element 115, a quest item in , has been given the temporary name , and is considered to be in the center of an "island of stability" in the midst of volatile elements. To date (29 Jan 2009) the most stable isotope, Uup-299, has not been synthesized. *Annie Bonn, an NPC at Scalawag Point, is named for the 18th century Irish pirate . *Iron Eyes, a taunka NPC in Taunka'le, is named for . Cody is best remembered as the 'crying Indian' in the 1970s series of antipollution commercials sponsored by . Iron Eyes gives the , asking the player to help remove discarded machinery from the nearby geyser pools. *D.E.H.T.A. is an obvious play on the animal rights group , sometimes criticized for extremist tactics. *Algalon the Observer is likely named after the star , also known as the "Demon Star" and traditionally considered an ill omen due to its unusual trait of inconsistent brightness. *The daily quests take their name from the breakfast cereal . References